Fog Effect
by angels.on.strike
Summary: Many years have passed since Harry Potter faced Lord Voldemort at Hogwarts and defeated him. Harry has changed in ways that one wouldn’t have thought were possible. Now he sits before Hermione and recounts his life. T for language and adult themes.


**Full summary:**

Many years have passed since Harry Potter faced Lord Voldemort at Hogwarts and defeated him. Harry has changed in ways that one wouldn't have thought were possible. Now he sits before Hermione as a power-hungry dictator and recounts his life but something isn't right. The boundaries between reality and fantasy have been blurred and Harry finds it hard to distinguish between the two. What is the truth and what is merely a dream?

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to JKR. I own nothing.**

**One**

Those familiar words hung in the air amidst the tense, excited silence. Gleaming, curious eyes were trained on the jet of light as it extended towards me. Our eyes met curiously over the light. I almost expected everything to happen in slow motion like in a muggle action movie. Unsurprisingly it didn't. Long before the birds, that had taken flight at his shrieked curse, had reached the skies, I was dead.

* * *

Hermione lifted the jug and tilted it. The water made a clear, rippling arc as it fell into the glass. She drank in small sips before putting it back down on the table. She looked at Harry and felt a pang of regret. She sat down on the cold stone floor facing him. Harry's eyes were shielded by his long, dirty hair and he did nothing to acknowledge Hermione's presence.

Her eyes swept over the shackles that kept him chained to the wall. As extreme as they were, it was a necessary precaution. Over the years that had passed since their school days Harry's magical abilities has strengthened and the possibility of him being able to perform wandless magic couldn't be ignored. An image of the young, reckless Harry flashed in Hermione's mind. Looking at the man before her, she found it hard to comprehend where and why he had become this immoral tyrant.

"But of course you hadn't died," prompted Hermione.

"No." He moved a hand to the ground, his chains clattering as he did so. "You know what happened next." He raised his head and gestured with his hand in a casually charismatic manner.

"What about Ginny?" she asked.

Harry's jaw clenched at her words but he forced himself to relax. "Everything was so perfect at first. We were so in love." He sighed, his fingers tracing a pattern in the dust. "We were so naive."

**

* * *

**

I could feel the sun warming my back yet the comfort of Ginny in my arms was gone. With a groan I opened my eyes and the absence of my red haired beauty instantly struck me dissonant chord. I rose from the bed and made my way downstairs. A smile spread across my face as I saw her standing by the counter, making coffee. I walked up to her and slid my arms around her waist.

"Morning," I chirped, kissing her on the cheek. She smiled and twisted in my arms to face me.

"Harry ... there's something I need to tell you," said Ginny.

"Okay," I nodded as I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. Ginny stayed where she was and was gazing into her cup. I frowned, noticing Ginny's out-of-character absent-mindedness. She walked over and sat down next to me and placed her hand over mine. Her eyes shone with excitement and anxiety.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, her mouth involuntarily forming a smile.

* * *

The twig snapped off and unexpectedly shot into my face. I was too slow to move away and it hit my cheek, scratching me. "Ow," I mumbled, clutching my cheek and rising to my feet. I put down the clippers and gingerly touched my face. The blood on my fingers confirmed my suspicions. Muttering 'terego' I cleaned up the blood and picked up my broom. I examined the tail which I had been neatening up when I heard a knocking noise and a feeble hoot. I turned to the window to see a barn owl sitting on the ledge. I made my way to it and opened the window, letting it in. It hopped forward and held out its leg. I untied the envelope and opened it up. The ministry watermark immediately caught my eye. It was taking a long time to undo the damage that Voldemort had done in the Ministry of Magic but the Ministry was finally functioning again.

_Hi Harry,_

_I hope you won't mind but I'll be popping by in a while for a quick chat._

_Neville._

I tossed the parchment into the fire and then walked into the adjoining bathroom to fix the scratch on my cheek before Neville arrived. Moments later I heard a knock on the door. "Coming," I called out as I hurried out of my study to the front door. I opened the front door and grinned widely. "Hi Neville," I said, stepping back so that he could enter.

"Hello Harry," grinned back Neville. The scars were slowly fading but he wore them with pride. Neville closed the door behind him and we made our way into the living room.

"Would you like to anything to drink? Tea? Butterbeer?" I offered before sitting down.

"No no I'm fine thanks," replied Neville. "I'm actually here on the behalf of the Ministry."

I had surmised as much from the watermark on the parchment. "Right," I nodded.

"As you know we've been recouping and ensuring that everything went back to way it was before Voldemort," began Neville. His voice faltered just a little as he said Voldemort. "Now we're well into the final stages and the only thing left to do is ... elect a Minister of Magic." He gave me a nervous glance.

Realisation dawned on me. Immediately I started shaking my head. "Oh no," I said with a laugh. "Neville you can't possibly -"

"Harry you'd be perfect for the job! Despite everything we've done, gaining the trust of the community has been very hard but with you as the minister, the ministry would finally be able function efficiently," interrupted Neville.

I sighed knowing that there was truth in Neville's words but it was hard to forget the distrust and the hatred that the wizarding community had harboured for me in the past. _Yes Harry and this is your chance to change that._ "I don't know Neville," I paused, "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to refuse." I looked up at Neville expecting to see disappointment but instead I was met with an understanding smile.

"Yes I must admit I expected that but think about it and if your decision changes ... you know where to find me," he said as he rose to his feet.

I stood up too and followed him to the door. "Why don't you stay a while? Ginny will be home soon and she'd love to see you," I said.

"I'd love to Harry but I've got some other stuff to sort out. Tell Ginny I said hello," apologised Neville before clapping me around the shoulder and apparating off.

**

* * *

**

"Ginny was happy that I'd turned down Neville's offer. She was worried that as the Minister, Voldemort's followers might try to assassinate me or target our family." Harry shifted, leaning back against the wall and hugging his knees to his chest. "She was right of course. There was no more talk about that and it was pushed to a corner of my mind as life went on. It was few months later. We'd been married for more than a year now and the due date was fast approaching."

**

* * *

**

_  
Crash_. The dish collided against the wall, shattering in a cloud of dust. We glared furiously at each other. Strands of hair had come loose from her ponytail and were hanging loosely around her face. "Breaking plates just solves everything doesn't it Harry?" she shouted heatedly. "Maybe if you had a job, we'd be able to afford to replace it!"

"Ah finally its out," I bellowed, "It's all about how I don't have a job isn't it?!" A part of me wanted her to deny the accusation but deep down we both knew that it was partially true.

Ginny froze, uncertain and bewildered. She looked down at the ground and said firmly, "I'm going to bed." She looked up at me before she left and the guilt and shame in her eyes told me all I needed to know.

I went straight to my study and took out a clean sheet of parchment and a quill. I dipped the tip of the quill into the inkpot and began to write.

_Dear Neville,_

_After thinking about what you said, I've decided to accept your offer. I hope it still stands._

_Harry_

I didn't regret it as I watched the owl fly into the night sky with the envelope attached to its leg. All I felt was a fierce sense of victory. That night I slept on the couch in my study.

**

* * *

**

I clutched her hand as she was wheeled into the room. That night is a blur in my mind. Healers rushed around us shouting out things that made no sense to me. I can remember Ron and Hermione comforting me and assuring me that Ginny would be fine. I tucked her hair behind her ear as she groaned in pain and I tried to soothe her. It was a very important night in my life and yet I can barely remember it. It was the night that I simultaneously became a father and the Minister of Magic. Isn't it strange to think that as Ginny's cries echoed throughout the corridors of St. Mungoes, posters of my face went up all over the country?

* * *

**A/N: Drop me a review? :)**


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